Transparency
by rainflower
Summary: Your "not-so-typical" AAMRN. It's not one of those "I love you, they kiss, the end." stories. Yet it still has the romance...
1. Prologue

_TRANSPARENCY ~ PROLOGUE_

* * *

Golden beams of sunlight reached down and touched the earth. There were no clouds to block the arms of light. The joy of the sun radiated in everyone's mood that day. It was a day of success, of congratulation, of confusion.....

OAK: Well Ash, Congratulations! You've beaten ALL the Pokemon Leagues!  
ASH: Yes sir, It took me 4 years, but I did it! I've finally reached my dream of being the Greatest Pokemon Master!  
OAK: Well that's not entirely correct....

Ash fell over in stupidity (anime style)

ASH: *Sweatdrops* What do you mean???  
OAK: Well you're a Pokemon Master Yes, but not the greatest. To earn that title, which only one person can have, you have to enter in the Master League.  
ASH: But I thought you said I beat ALL the Pokemon Leagues!?!?  
OAK: Yes, you did! You beat all the REGULAR Pokemon Leagues, the Master League is for all the Trainers who beat all the others! There's no traveling for badges, you just compete in a elimination type competition at all the local gyms and arenas against the other Master League members. Their the ones you see on TV Ash...  
ASH: WOW! Sounds great! I want to get started right away! Sign me up!  
OAK: I'm not entirely sure you'll want too. You see, you won't be able to travel around with your friends, and it will be hard to see your mother. You'll have to be constantly flying from battle to battle. I'm not sure if you want to do that, a lot of people choose to open up a Pokemon Gym instead. The Master League is a large group of VERY dedicated trainers, The battles will often be in one city Monday and across the world to another battle Tuesday. They eat, sleep and live constant Pokemon battles and for a lot of people they don't want that life.

Ash just stood their in a sort of trance, he was deep in though...

MISTY: *Puts her hand on Ash's shoulder* Ash, are you OK?  
OAK: Maybe you'd like some time to think about it. Go home and make your decision, call me with what you decide...  
ASH: *Barely Audible* Yea..........Decide......

* * *

Ash, Misty and Brock silently made their way to Ash's house. The sun still shone as brightly as ever, the rays still touched the souls of every being. But now there was a cloud visible in the sky, it was stone gray, and it looked to be getting steadily larger.....

MISTY: *Breaking the unbearable silence* Well if you ask me Ash, I'd open up a gym of my own! You'd get to battle other trainers, raise more Pokemon, you'd be close to your family and friends, and you'd still have time to do what you like to do! Whatever THAT is I don't know....  
BROCK: It's not that easy Misty. The Master League is probably a lot of fun too, there are advantages and disadvantages to each. That's what makes it such a hard decision.  
ASH: *Barely Audible again* Yea.........Decide......

The group reached the Ketchum residence and noticed a note on the door:

_Ash,  
Gone to the supermarket.   
Will be home around 4:30 to make you your favorite dinner.  
There are cookies on the table if you want a snack.  
Love, Mom_

BROCK: It's almost 3:00, she must not have left too long ago, and Ash's favorite dinner must be HUGE if she needs an Hour and a Half or more to buy all the ingredients!  
MISTY: Well knowing Ash it will probably be a feast! *Looks over to the hunched over and sulking Ash* What is your favorite dinner?  
ASH: *Barely audible (yes AGAIN)* Yea.........Decide......  
*Misty quickly pulls out her mallet and bops Ash upside the head*  
MISTY: *In her big head and mouth anime style* WILL YOU STOP SAYING THAT!!!?! 

No response from Ash, not even an "Oww!" from the mallet 

MISTY: Well I'm going inside! 

* * *

The sun beamed through the window of the small house. It had to battle now, the once small cloud was now threatening the earth with a storm. Rays of light could still be pierced through the ever darkening menace and that's what the sun would do, and continue to do, until it lost the battle..... 

It was silence, silence that Misty just couldn't bear, she had to listen to something. She could barely hear the faint song of one bird outside and that was all that was keeping her from going mad. The bird stopped, and she screamed.....

MISTY: I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER! IT'S TOO QUIET! I'm turning on the TV.

She marched over, snatched up the remote and was about to press POWER, when she heard it....

ASH: I've decided.

Brock and Misty just stared at him, waiting for his answer.

ASH: I'm joining the Master League. I vowed to be the Greatest Pokemon Master and that's what I'm going to be. If I don't enter the League I'll never have a chance.  
MISTY: Are you sure Ash, this is a very important decision and you'll want to make the right one. *Her heart ached as she pushed out the words, it would hurt without him*  
ASH: I'm sure. Don't try to change my mind, cause it's already made up.

He picked up the phone and dialed Professor Oak.....

* * *

This story is © Rainflower  
Thank-You to Nintendo and Game Freak for letting me use their characters (even though they don't know it).  
All original Pokemon characters, etc. are © Nintendo and Game Freak, not me!


	2. Book 1

_TRANSPARENCY ~ BOOK ONE_

* * *

Five years later.....

The stadium was packed, sold-out, no seat was unoccupied. It was silent too, well the crowd was at least. The trainers commands echoed as the onlookers were waiting, watching, not daring to even breathe. Then it roared, the silence opened up it's mouth and was transferred into noise. The lights that had been dimmed were now flaming with their full essence of light...

"AND THE WINNER IS ASH KETCHUM! THE NUMBER ONE POKEMON MASTER!"  
This just caused the already colossal roar to become louder and more ear piercing.  
Ash just grinned and waved, looking as glad as possible for the crowd. Yes, he was happy, victory was still sweet. But now it tasted more like sugar water rather than a deliciously rich slice of triple chocolate mouse cake oozing with whipped cream and hot fudge. It had lost it's flavor. Pride was still there, he was proud of himself. Proud of actually following through with his dream and not letting it melt. _"There I go again." _He thought. _"Thinking about food."_

He had earned the "Greatest Pokemon Master" title about two years ago. It took him three years to finally win the Master League, and earn his title. He was famous now, well known, the name Ketchum could be spoken anywhere and everyone would immediately know what you were talking about. _"Oh, that was victory." _Now all of his battles were sold-out. If you wanted tickets you'd have to be either willing to pay an awful lot, or have friends in high places. And even then it wasn't guaranteed you'd get tickets in the coming decade.

Ash stepped out of the trainers box and was immediately hounded with reporters. He had learned to expect it now, and to make life easier on the media he always had a press conference after every match. The media was so ecstatic when he announced this that he swore they would personally elect him president if they had the power to do so. But even so the reporters still crowded around him as he walked to the press conference. He couldn't understand it, he handed them answers on a silver platter after every battle.

"Mr. Ketchum, how do you feel about your latest victory?"  
_"Yep, the usual 'How do you feel?' question. Well actually I feel nothing about the victory. It was a battle, I easily won, period. I'd actually like to go for some dinner right now."  
_"Well I take every battle as a personal challenge, and every challenge has it's hard parts. My opponent raised a really good Hitmonchan and it took some strategy to beat him. Pikachu battled really great today and I'm really proud of him."

"Mr. Ketchum, Where are you headed for your next battle and when will that be?"  
_"Oh, I don't really know. I never keep track of that anymore."  
_Ash just looked behind him, glanced at some of his associates and said with his eyes: _"Um, you answer that."  
_A tall blonde haired man who Ash didn't know by name stepped up and stated: "Ash Ketchum's next battle will be at Lapras Stadium in Cerulean City. This will take place on Saturday."

"Mr. Ketchum, What are your thoughts about this upcoming battle?"  
_"Cerulean city? Misty's living there. Today is Thursday, if I flew down there tonight we could spend Friday together before the match. I wonder if she remembers me after what, five years?"  
_"Mr. Ketchum?"  
"What? Oh, sorry. Could you please repeat the question?"

* * *

The continuous rush of air didn't bother him anymore. When you flew every other day it became almost comforting. Having his own private jet had sounded so neat at first, but like everything else the sweetness had no flavor any longer. Ash kicked his legs up onto the side of the couch so he could try to recline and relax.

_"Oh gosh, how can I talk to her again? We haven't seen each other is five years. Should I even meet with her again? Maybe it would be best if I didn't. I wonder if she's seeing anyone? What does she look like now? Maybe she died her hair brown. Oh, I hope not. What if I get there, she slaps me, tells me she doesn't care and stomps off? Maybe I should call her first. That way I could at least be rejected over the phone."_

Ash pulled his cell phone out and dialed the operator. _"It's only about 7:00PM, it shouldn't be too late to call."  
_"Operator"  
"Hi, could you get me the Cerulean City Gym please?"  
He was surprised at the shakiness in his voice, was he REALLY that nervous?  
"One moment please..."  
Silence, then ringing, again, again.  
_"Maybe their not home?"  
_"Hello?"  
"Hi, is Misty there?"  
"Yea, Just a sec let me get her."  
He could feel his stomach slowly tightening into a knot and he realized his hand had started shaking. _"It's only Misty, you've known each other for a long time, why are you afraid of her?" _He told himself.  
"Hello?"  
It was her, he'd heard that voice for four solid years, and their was no mistaking it. It was Misty.

* * *

This story is © Rainflower  
Thank-You to Nintendo and Game Freak for letting me use their characters (even though they don't know it).  
All original Pokemon characters, etc. are © Nintendo and Game Freak, not me!


	3. Book 2

_TRANSPARENCY ~ BOOK TWO_

* * *

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! The alarm blared it's mechanical tone monotonously. "Let me sleep, sleep." She mumbled, reaching out her hand from under the warm sheets. After knocking various knick knacks off her dresser she finally managed to pound her fist on the OFF button. "I'll just sleep another five minutes or so" She yawned and pulled her slender arm back under the covers.

"MISTY? Misty wake up!"  
She jerked herself up and blinked, trying to focus on her sisters form.  
"What?" She yawned in a half-awake, half-asleep stupor.  
"You've been asleep for at least an hour after your alarm went off, breakfast is ready and we have some battle challenges at the gym already. Today is YOUR day to battle, so get UP!"  
"Oh, yea." As she swung her legs out from under the covers she shivered.  
_"This has got to be one of the worst feelings in the world"_ she thought, _"Getting out of a nice warm bed."  
_The floor creaked slightly as she walked to her closet and picked out her clothes. After selecting her usual jean shorts she snatched up a purple tank top and yellow suspenders. _"I'm in a weird mood today, I feel like a change."_

The shower was cold. The blow drier wasn't working right. And on top of it all she had to hurry.   
She pulled her still damp hair into a ponytail on the side of her head and tried to make it look as good as possible.  
_"Oh, like I should care. It's not like anyone sees me anyway."  
_She dashed to the kitchen and inhaled her cold oatmeal. _  
"Well, I guess it's time to see who I loose to next."  
_There were five people lined up to battle for a Cascade Badge. Misty opened the gym doors and they flooded in, all clambering to be first. The heart of a ten year old was so young, innocent, and spunky. _  
"I can remember when Ash won his first badge, he was so determined to win on his own." _She sighed when she thought this, he was gone now, and it hurt. _"Why am I still living in the past? I haven't seen him for five years. And I so wish I could've gone to the party celebrating his victory in the Master League a couple of years ago. But it's just my luck I get sick with an awful flu at that exact time. I guess that's why I don't gamble, I'm always so afraid of loosing."   
_She was jerked out of her thoughts by a young boy coming up to her and stating "I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle!"   
Oh it brought back the memories. She swore she could almost here Ash's voice saying those exact same words. _  
"This is why I hate battling like this, I can't get him out of my mind!"_

"We'll use two Pokemon each."  
Misty took her place in the trainers box and called out her first Pokemon.  
"Starmie, I choose you!"  
"A Starmie hugh, then I choose Bellsprout!"  
Yes, She was right. It would be a long, tiring day of loosing.

* * *

"Ugghhh" she groaned while she slumped into a chair. Thank goodness for lunch. It would be impossible to survive the rest of the day without a break. She usually liked to have lunch around noon, but the gym had been unusually busy and she didn't get her break until 2:30. The fridge was void of anything that looked edible, so she fixed herself some noodles in broth. The water seemed to take longer than ever to boil today, so Misty got some ice water and sat down at the table to wait.

She took some water into her mouth and almost instantly spat it back out all over the place. Right in front of her was a giant headline in the Goldeen Gazette.

**"Pokemon Master comes to Cerulean!"**  
_"That's Ash!" _She thought as she snatched up the story and began to read the now soggy print.  
_"He'll be here on Saturday? Oh I wish I could get tickets to the match, but that is almost impossible. I would love to see him in real life"  
_There was a picture of him holding Pikachu with a happy smirk on his face, Misty studied it.  
_"Wow, he looks so different, and yet the same in many ways."  
_He no longer wore his Pokemon League Cap, and a new Master League jacket replaced his old one.  
_"That jacket looks good on him, since it's black it really accents his hair."  
_She sat there for the longest time just staring at the picture and memorizing the article.  
_"Maybe I could go see him? No, they probably would never let me near him. Like I could just walk up and say 'I know Ash, we traveled together for four years!' No way, not happening. And like he'd really want to see me, we'd just argue. He's the greatest Pokemon master, and I'm just a Cerulean gym leader. I hope the fame hasn't gone to his head. Maybe he's cocky and arrogant now."  
_Her brain and heart were battling their own match.  
_"You know he couldn't be like that, look at his eyes, at the way he holds Pikachu. But you know him, he let badges go to his head once! I'm sure he's intoxicated with pride and self glory."  
_But she finally had to let her mind come back to reality. Lunch was over and it was time to get back to the battles. There were always less challengers after lunch, luckily. 

* * *

"MISTY, Were home!" Her sisters had just gotten back from a huge shopping trip and had found Misty in the kitchen asleep on the table.

"Oh good, your back." She moaned groggily, wiping some drool from the corner of her mouth.  
"The gym was swamped with challengers today, I wonder why it's so busy?"  
"Haven't you heard Misty? Ash Ketchum is battling here on Saturday! All the tourists and trainers have come here to see him!"  
"Oh yea, I read that in the newspaper. I guess it just never occurred to me that that would cause all the trainers to come."  
"Well Misty, it's 6:00 and you look horrid! Why don't you go and take a shower? We've already had dinner, but we'll fix you up something good. It's been a long day."  
_"Yea, a shower sounded good. A WARM one that is."  
_She trudged to the shower and turned it on full heat so that the bathroom became steamy.

It was a half an hour later when she emerged dressed in the same clothes she wore earlier. Her hair was now fully dry so she just let it hang down long.  
_"No point in putting it up, I'll just go to bed soon."  
_A wonderful aroma was drifting up to her nose. Yes, her sisters were cooking something good. She went into her bedroom and plopped down on her bed.  
_"It feels so good just to relax. Just to lay down and do nothing."  
_She must have drifted off to sleep because she was jerked awake by the phone ringing.  
_"I'm not going to answer it, it's never for me anyway."  
_The ringing finally stopped and Misty knew one of her sisters had gotten it. Her eyes closed again and she felt sleep again coming to her.  
"MISTY! There's some guy on the phone for you!"  
_"What!?! No one ever called for her, it must be some salesman or something."  
_"I'll get it in here, Thanks." She yelled back  
Sitting on the edge of her bed she reached for the receiver and put it to her ear.  
"Hello?"  
There was a bit of a pause then,  
"Is this Misty?"  
That voice, it donned in her mind as someone she new, but she couldn't recognize it.  
"Yes, this is Misty. May I ask who's calling?"  
"This is Ash."  
She dropped the phone, her mind just lost control of her fingers and the receiver slipped and banged on the floor.

On the other end Ash had thought she just hung up and was about to press END when...

"I'm sorry I just put some lotion on and the phone slipped out of my hands."  
She lied, there was no other way around it.  
"That's Ok."  
His voice was soft and almost had the sound of relief to it.  
"Where are you?" Misty questioned, there was some unknown sound in the background and it puzzled her.  
"Actually I'm on an airplane to Cerulean City right now. I called to ask you if you wanted to get together tomorrow when I'm in town."  
_"This can't be real, he's coming here and he wants to see me!?"  
_Her stomach was churning with all her mixed emotions, she was suddenly really cold and started shaking.  
"Sure, that sounds great! Where should we meet?"

Ash was overjoyed. She actually wanted to see him!  
"Well, I could come over there and pick you up, or I could send someone over there to pick you up and you could come to my hotel, or we could choose a place to meet! It's your pick!"  
_"Did it REALLY matter to her? I don't want him coming here, all my sisters would get ideas. I can't think of any place to meet, so I guess we'll meet at his hotel."  
_"Why don't you send someone to get me, I'd love to see inside one of the Cerulean hotels!"  
"Ok, I'll have someone there to pick you up at 10:00AM."  
_"Goodness, that sounded weird. He can just tell someone to come pick me up?"  
_"Sounds good. How long will it be until you land in Cerulean?"  
"I think it will be another twenty minutes."  
_"Oh his voice is so wonderful to hear again. Of course it's not the same as it was, it's lower now and more mature. But he's still the same Ash. What can I say now? My mind has gone blank, he'll think I hung up on him!"  
_But he broke the silence.  
"Bring a dress."  
His voice was powerful when he said it, It was more like a command. But it was also a soft command that gave chills down Misty's spine.  
"OK. But why?"  
"There's some dinner going on tomorrow night. I think the Cerulean mayor is holding it and I was invited. It would be wonderful if you came along."  
"How fancy will it be? I don't have very good dresses."  
"Oh, I'm not sure. I'll have to tell you tomorrow. Just bring the best dress you have and if it isn't good enough we can buy you one."_  
_Now he sounded almost playful. She was melting from all the different emotions._  
_"Ok, I'll bring one with me."  
"That's good. I'm sorry, I have to go. Were starting our decent and the pilot is glaring at me from the cockpit."  
She giggled a little. "That's ok, I should get going too. See you tomorrow, Bye."  
"Bye Misty."  
Those two words she hated to hear together. It almost haunted her as she could still hear it echoing in her ear.

That was it, but she still held the phone in her sweaty palm. Did what she thought just happened REALLY happen?  
_"Yes it did. I'm seeing Ash tomorrow at 10:00, face to face. I wonder what he looks like in real life? I think he's about nineteen now. Yea, that's right, I'm six months older and I'm turning twenty in four months. I wonder how tall he is now. I'm probably still taller than him!"  
_She laughed at this thought._  
_"MISTY! Dinners ready! Who called you?"  
Her sisters voice had drifted from the kitchen to her bedroom.  
"I'm not hungry anymore, I'm going to bed!" She yelled back.  
_"So what if it's a little early to go to bed? I need to wake up early tomorrow and get ready. What will I wear? How will I do my Hair? What dress will I bring?"  
_Misty finally placed the phone back on it's hook and raced to the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth and hair she got into her pajamas and crawled into bed.  
_"I need to set my alarm. But what time should I get up? I need enough time to be fully ready by 10:00. I don't want to be rushing either."  
_She pondered it a little bit longer, set the alarm, turned off the lights and slept.  
Her alarm was set for 5:00AM. 

* * *

This story is © Rainflower  
Thank-You to Nintendo and Game Freak for letting me use their characters (even though they don't know it).  
All original Pokemon characters, etc. are © Nintendo and Game Freak, not me!


	4. Book 3

_TRANSPARENCY ~ BOOK THREE_

* * *

The continuous blowing noises changed as the plane started it's decent. Ash was lying on the couch. Phone still in his hand, heart pounding like mad, and a smile on his face.

_"She's wonderful. Just her voice has brought back so many memories. I wish I would have called her sooner, I've been busy, yes. But I could've called. Am I afraid of her? No, she's my friend. But Brock is my friend too and we've stayed in touch. There's something different with her, something I can't quite put my finger on."_

He just sat there with a contented smile on his face, thinking about her. He could picture the old Misty, the flaming red hair so perfectly placed in a ponytail on the side of her head, the tall slender body, her white delicate skin.  
_"She won't look like that now. I bet she's even more beautiful. She probably has some shape to her body now, instead of just being tall and skinny. Her hair has got to be the same, she wouldn't be Misty without it."_

The plane landed and Ash was escorted to a fancy rental car driven by his usual escort. His rather annoying, yet productive manager, Thad, sat beside him and started to ask questions left and right. But Ash was ignoring him as usual, his mind was still preoccupied.

"Thad, tomorrow you are going to pick up Misty from the Cerulean gym at 10:00. Bring her to my hotel."  
He didn't like talking this way, but if you tried to have a normal conversation with Thad it just didn't work. You had to give him orders.  
"But why on earth would you want to do that? I can't just go in there and say 'Come with me?' Who is this girl anyway..." His arguments continued.  
"She's my friend, were spending the day together and your picking her up."  
With this the arguments stopped and the other questions continued.  
_"__Yes, the usual conversation. Boring and one sided."_

Upon arrival at the Water Lilly Hotel Ash could hear the jeering crowd outside.  
_"This has got to be the worst part. Trying to get into the hotel through this mob of fans."  
_With a deep breath he stepped out and walked to the hotel, there were many girls in the crowd blowing kisses and such, but Ash always ignored them. He knew that they liked him only because he was famous.

The Water Lilly Hotel was a luxurious twenty-five story hotel with a swimming pool, spa, and restaurant. Ash made his way to the suite where he would be staying. It had a King bed, a living room with sofa and TV, a kitchenette, and two balconies. He remembered when hotels were a luxury. But then again that was when he slept on the cold hard ground with only a sleeping bag. With Thad out of the way Ash could finally relax. He lie down on the giant king bed and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Misty's alarm was blaring at 5:00AM and she bounded out of bed at the first sound. It always surprised her how easy it was to get up when you had something to look forward to. She quickly hopped in the shower and washed her hair with her favorite lavender shampoo.  
_"Today couldn't be any better, I'm seeing Ash again."  
_She smiled, it would be so wonderful to see his face, to hear his voice, to touch him.  
After finishing her hour long shower Misty pondered what to wear.  
_"Should I wear what I used to wear? Or would it be better for a change?"  
_He mind debated and finally decided on jean shorts, yellow tank, and blue suspenders.  
It was now 6:45 and she was in the process of blowing her hair dry.  
_"Now how should I wear my hair? Down or up? I think I'll wear it down, the blow drier is finally working right and my hair is surprisingly looking good today"  
_She put on only a little makeup, some blush and a little lip gloss.  
_"I don't really like makeup, but this little bit isn't so bad."  
_The mirror was now her friend, she used to be called scrawny, but not anymore! Her body had matured late and now she had the curves she had so wanted.  
_"But am I pretty? No. I'm much prettier than I used to be, but I could never be called pretty, or beautiful."_

It was 8:00 now.  
_"Only two more hours."  
_Misty skipped back to her room and brought out a small suitcase. She packed a brush, Ponytail Holders, and her Lip gloss. Then turned to her closet to choose a dress.  
_"These are all so plain. I'm sure the dinner will be fancy."  
_Her choices weren't very good. But after surveying them all she chose a plain black spaghetti strap dress. It wasn't very elegant because it was a short dress that hung just above her knees.  
_"Oh well. My other choices are much worse."  
_She packed her dress, some shoes to go with it and tried to think of anything else she might want.  
_"No, I think that will do it!"_

It was now 9:15 and she met her sisters downstairs eating breakfast.  
"What's going on Misty? You were in the shower at the crack of dawn and you weren't hungry last night. I have a feeling this has something to do with who called you. So who was it?"  
"OK, alright! Ash called me!"  
They sat their in shock for a few moments then...  
"So what's going on?"  
Her sisters had a suspicious look to them, Misty knew they would.  
"I'm going to meet him at his hotel at 10:00. He arrived in Cerulean last night and wanted to spend Friday together. That's it!"  
_"Yes, that was it. Sort of. She didn't mention dinner, She didn't mention how her stomach fluttered whenever she thought of him."  
_"Alright Misty, you go on and have a good time."  
They were being slightly sarcastic and chuckled to themselves. Misty just ate her breakfast in silence.  
_"Nothing is going to ruin this day."  
_After finishing breakfast and washing all the dishes it was 9:50.  
_"Just enough time to re-do my makeup."  
_No later had she got out of the bathroom that the doorbell rang. Her whole body jumped at the sound and she rushed over to answer the door.

A tall almost sickly looking man was there.  
"Hello Miss, I'm here to pick-up Misty."  
"I'm Misty, let me get my bag really quick."  
She turned around to grab it, but the man had already done so and had started walking out to the car. Misty decided to follow. He opened the door for her and she sat down. The man then walked to the other side and sat down beside her.  
_"Why am I so nervous, well it could be this man sitting beside me. Why does he keep looking me over like an inspector?"  
_That's exactly what Thad was doing. Inspecting Misty, looking at her shape, at her features, looking for flaws.  
The ride was short and silent. She soon arrived at the Water Lilly Hotel.

"Would you like me to show you to his room?" Thad asked.  
"No Thank-You. I can function on my own. I'd rather find it myself."  
She stepped out of the car and carried her bag into the hotel.  
_"Oh, it's magnificent!"  
_The glistening marble floor reflected her complexion as she looked at it, the statues and carvings looked like they could almost be brought to life.  
She walked up to the front desk and asked for the room of Ash Ketchum.  
"I'm sorry I can't give you that information Miss."  
"But I'm supposed to meet him." Misty pleaded.

Thad walked up behind her and tapped on her shoulder.  
"Come with me, I knew you would need my assistance."  
_"Now THIS man can ruin my day."  
_They took the elevator up to the twenty-fifth floor and walked to the end of the hall.  
"This is his room." Stated Thad bluntly, pointing at door number 269. Then he left.  
_"Thank goodness, that was the nicest thing he's done."  
_Her heart started to flutter again, he was so close, just inside this door. Would he rush out and embrace her? Would he say "HI." and let her in? Would he be tall? Would he be handsome?

With a little courage mustered up she stepped towards the door and knocked.  
She could hear footsteps inside getting closer to the door. The knob turned and the hinges squeaked as the door opened.

* * *

This story is © Rainflower  
Thank-You to Nintendo and Game Freak for letting me use their characters (even though they don't know it).  
All original Pokemon characters, etc. are © Nintendo and Game Freak, not me!


	5. Book 4

_TRANSPARENCY ~ BOOK FOUR_

* * *

Misty watched as the door swung open to reveal him. But she didn't get a very good look because Ash immediately rushed up to her. He swiftly embraced her around the waist and pulled her to him. Misty reached her arms up around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Each one was just enjoying the feeling of one another.

_"He's so much taller now, my head just rests on his shoulder. He's a lot stronger too, the way he holds me so firmly against him yet it seems like it uses only a fraction of his strength. I swear I couldn't stand on my own if he wasn't holding me."_

_"She's always been so beautiful I never imagined she could improve. Her body's changed, she now has the curves of a woman. No one can call her scrawny anymore. Her hair is still red, and I love it when she wears it down like that. It flows and moves with her body."_

It seemed like an eternity when they held each other, but once they parted they knew it had only been a few moments.  
"Oh Ash, It's so good to see you!"  
"I'm just so glad you came, come on inside."  
He took her bag and closed the door behind her.  
"It's a breathtaking room! I never knew a hotel like this existed in Cerulean!"  
_"Who cares about the room, have you ever looked in the mirror?" _Ash thought.  
"There's also two balconies, most rooms here only have one."  
Misty turned around to look at Ash, she still hadn't gotten a really good look at him.

_"I thought he would look good, but who could've imagined he would grow up to look THIS good.....STOP IT MISTY! He's just your friend, stop thinking about him like that. Stop it, STOP IT!"  
_"Is something wrong?"  
Misty had been staring at Ash.  
"No, nothing's wrong. In fact everything is wonderful!"  
"Good."  
They just stood there staring at each other for awhile before Misty broke the silence.  
"Oh, You need to tell me if the dress I brought is OK for dinner."  
Ash walked over and reclined on the couch while Misty got her dress out of her suitcase and held it up.  
"Soooo, Is it OK?"  
Misty watched as Ash got a playful grin on his face then replied,  
"I can't really tell. Why don't you put it on? I can't see how it looks when you just hold it up!"  
She looked back at him questioningly, then went into the bathroom to change.

Misty looked at her reflection in the full length mirror.  
_"I don't remember this dress being quite so........revealing."  
_The dress was tighter than she remembered. It fit her body snugly and showed every curve.  
_"Well it does look good. Maybe he'll snatch me up in his arms and kiss me passionately when he sees me. NO MISTY. STOP IT! Just STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! Ash is your FRIEND, nothing more."  
_She finally opened the bathroom door and stepped out in front of Ash.

It took all his strength to keep his composure and not rush up and tell her how beautiful she was. He managed to stay reclined on the couch and to look relaxed. But it took awhile for Ash to find his voice and playfully reply to her.  
"I like the red sneakers. They go really well with that dress!"  
Misty looked down at her feet and blushed a little. She never thought about her shoes.  
"Well your supposed to look at the dress, not my shoes!"  
She had sounded a little more stern then she wanted too.  
"How am I supposed to get a look at the dress with those sneakers on? Don't you have any dress shoes?"  
Ash was still keeping up his playful composure and Misty was now getting a little steamed.  
"Yes I DO have shoes to go with this. And if you MUST see them I suppose I can put them on."  
Misty trudged over to her bag, removed her sneakers and replaced them with her black high heeled shoes.  
"Is THIS better?"  
She was getting even more annoyed seeing Ash just continue to recline on the couch with minimal interest.  
"Yes, that looks MUCH better. But the dress would look even BETTER if your hair was up."  
"MY HAIR! I'll put on different shoes, but I'm not spending thirty minutes putting my hair up when were not even going anywhere!"  
Ash knew she would do this, he knew Misty. She had responded to his scheme exactly how he'd expected. He grinned playfully again.  
"Who said were not going anywhere? It's almost lunchtime."  
"I'm not going to lunch in my dress! Can you PLEASE just tell me if this will work for dinner?"  
"Nope, it won't work for dinner. It will work for lunch."  
"OK, Fine. But while I'm putting my hair up YOU need to put something nicer on. You can't be wearing jeans and a T-shirt with me in my dress."  
"I agree."  
With that Ash walked into the bedroom and closed the door and Misty returned to the bathroom.

_"Ohh, he always does that to me. It was almost like he planned the whole thing! He makes me so mad."  
_She was fumbling with her hair, holding it up with her left hand and sticking bobby pins in with her right.  
_"There, that doesn't look that bad."  
_Her hair was back in a simple bun with a couple strands of hair hanging down beside her face.  
_"Well he was right. The dress DOES look better with my hair up."  
_It didn't take her as long as she thought to do her hair. She went into the living room and sat on the couch waiting for Ash.  
_"THIS is why I don't wear dresses. I always have to sit with my legs together or crossed, like a lady."_

Ash was laughing as he surveyed his clothes in the closet.  
_"She's still the same Misty. Well that's not true, she's pretty now. No, she WAS pretty, now she's stunning. It was a good thing I was sitting down when she came out wearing that dress."  
_He picked out some black slacks, a cream shirt and a black suit jacket. He also found himself daydreaming about Misty.  
_"Snap out of it Ash. It's not going to happen. We're friends and will always be just that. Stop thinking about her that way!"_

Misty was sitting on the couch browsing through the room service menu when Ash came in. She didn't even look up, she was still pretty steamed.  
"That dress looks a lot better with your hair up."  
She had to lift her head up to reply  
"Thank-You."  
But it came out a little shakier than she expected, because she saw Ash.  
_"I didn't expect him to wear a suit! Wow, he looks.........good..."  
_"You look a lot more appropriate too."  
She tried to sound as unenergetic as possible, but it was hard.  
Ash walked over and sat next to Misty. She felt her stomach tangle up again, he was just so....close.  
"Where do you want to eat Misty?"  
"Well I don't know of any places where they require DRESSES for lunch!"  
"Neither do I. So I guess we'll just have to find one!"  
Misty was about to ask how in the world he would do that when Ash picked up the phone and dialed.  
"Hi, do you know of any formal lunch restaurants?"  
Misty relaxed on the couch, then suddenly sat back up again. She had forgotten about her short dress. Ash glanced at her questioningly then returned to his phone conversation.  
"OK, thank you!"  
He hung up the phone and turned to Misty.  
"There's a formal Italian Restaurant that serves lunch in town here."  
He held out his hand to Misty.  
"Come on! Lets Go!"  
She placed her delicate hand in his and felt his fingers wrap around hers as they stood up.

* * *

Misty sat and studied her menu. She had expected to feel overdressed, but was surprised to see some people dressed even fancier than her!  
"Um....Ash?"  
She looked up from her menu and questioned him.  
"Is something wrong Misty?"  
"No, not really. I was just noticing that there aren't any prices on this menu."  
"Good observation, your right. There aren't any."  
"Well everything isn't free!"  
"Nope, some restaurants don't list their prices. Their usually the most expensive ones."  
"But Ash, I can't afford this! Especially when I can't see the prices!"  
"Misty I invited YOU. And I'm paying. Order whatever you want."  
"But Ash....!"  
He had reached over the table and covered Misty's mouth.  
"I have plenty of money, more than you could imagine. I'm paying."  
He was using his commanding yet soft voice again. Ash removed his hand. Misty silently picked her menu back up and studied it again. After deciding what to order she again brought the subject back up.  
"I can imagine a lot of money."  
Ash peered over his menu at Misty.  
"I know you can."  
"Well you can't have more money than that."  
This time Ash didn't even bother to look at her, he just continued looking at his menu.  
"Maybe not, but probably pretty close."  
"Ash! How much money DO you have?"  
He put his menu down and looked at Misty.  
"Guess."  
"I don't want to guess, tell me!"  
"Well to be honest I don't know how much I have. But I get around five thousand dollars for every battle I win."  
Misty was in a state of shock.  
"FIVE THOUSAND!? For EACH battle? You have battles every three days! Ash, your rich!"  
"Maybe so, but I don't dwell on it."  
They just stared at each other in silence for awhile.  
"May I take your order?"  
The waiter had returned and had a pen poised and ready.  
Ash motioned Misty to order first.  
"I'll have the Portabella Fettuccine Alfrado and a Cesar Salad please."  
"Marvelous choice madam. And for you sir?"  
"I'd like the Seafood Fettuccine Marinara and a Cesar Salad also."  
"Thank you sir, would you like anything to drink?"  
Misty replied almost instantly "Water's fine."  
Ash then answered "I'll just have water too."  
The waiter departed and they continued to sit in silence.  
Misty started tapping her water glass out of boredom, she listened to the constant lull of conversation throughout the restaurant.  
_"What is going on here. I usually hate silence. But for some reason I can't think of anything to say, or do for that matter. When he's not here I think about him night and day, but when he's sitting across from me I don't say a thing. What's wrong with me?"  
_Then it came, the topic of discussion she wanted instantaneously appeared in her mind.  
"Why didn't we stay in touch over the years?"  
Ash was surprised by her sudden question, but answered fairly quickly.  
"Well, I was really busy..."  
Misty interrupted "Not too busy to call once in a while!"  
He slouched down in his chair and sighed.  
"You're right. But there are a lot of things I would do differently if I could live life over again."  
Misty pondered these words and realized there were a lot of things she would change too.  
"I'm sorry, it's just..."  
"No, don't be sorry Misty. I ruined everything! We used to be best friends, and now I don't even know what we are."  
"You didn't ruin anything! We're still best friends, we'll just have to catch up on the past five years."  
Ash flashed her a smile of pure relief and joy. Misty felt herself melting in her chair.  
"Well, where do I start.... The first year in the Master League was pretty much just training.....

Misty listened intently to his voice, and his short story of the past five years. The disappointments and the successes.

...and that's pretty much what happened! Now, what about you?"

"Ok, after you left I went back to the Cerulean Gym to live with my sisters. We decided that I would run the gym on Thursdays and Weekends and they would work out the other days between the three of them. So I make a decent living from the gym. My sisters have jobs on the weekend so they make more money, but they also spend it more than I do! Those three are inseparable! They work together, and even go on dates together! My sisters are always trying to set me up too. There was this one time where they set me up with this guy they said was perfect for me. I went shopping with them and they picked this dress out for me. And they were right, he was exactly like they said. He loved water Pokemon, and was really nice, but I broke it off like I always do. I always end up comparing everyone to...."  
Misty stopped short, she had spoken her mind.  
_"Why did you say that? Now you've gone and done it."  
_Ash shuffled in his chair.  
_"Could she mean me? Why did she suddenly stop? What does this mean?"  
_The waiter returned with two Caesar salads and placed one in front of each of them.  
Misty hurriedly snatched up her fork and stuffed a bite into her mouth.  
_"I can't talk with my mouth full, keep eating..."  
_She could see Ash glancing at her with a questioning look, and it made her uncomfortable.  
"Who Misty? You didn't complete your sentence."  
Her fork pierced another huge bite of lettuce, dressing, and croutons. The bite quickly found it's way to her mouth.  
She chewed slowly and gave Ash a look that could only say _"I'd love to answer, but look! My mouth is full!"  
_Ash could see he was getting nowhere, so he started on his salad.  
_"If only these salads were smaller. Then she'd be done eating and she'd HAVE to answer. But their huge, and it looks like Misty just got really hungry."  
_Ash ate about half his salad then sat and semi-patiently watched Misty slowly eat hers.  
She was teasing him with every bite, and he couldn't stand it. Just sitting their watching her chew, and chew.  
Then she paused after swallowing for once, and Ash pounced on the moment.  
"Are you done?"  
Misty quickly nodded her head no and took another bite.  
_"Oh, I can't keep this up. And I'm getting tired of this salad."  
_She finished her bite, and finally put her fork down.  
"Now will you complete your sentence?"  
"Ummmmmm, ok. I always end up comparing everyone to......you. You're my best friend, and we traveled together for four years! It makes sense."  
She was trying to neutralize the moment, but Ash did more, he started laughing.  
"Oh, Misty.....you crack me up! The salad, and you are.....just so serious.....when you...."  
He was having trouble laughing and talking at the same time so he decided to just stop.  
Misty scowled at him, _"What's so funny!?!"  
_But the more she scowled the funnier it became, and soon she was laughing hysterically too.  
The whole restaurant stared at the two laughing louder and louder, but they didn't notice. They were entirely absorbed in each other, connected by laughter.

* * *

"What should we do now?"  
Ash was sitting in the drivers seat of the car and was pulling out of the parking lot.  
"Why don't we get you a dress for dinner?"  
"Sounds good to me! We can go to the Cerulean Mall."  
Misty gave him some brief directions and sat back against the fine leather seat.  
"So Misty, I've been wondering. Just how DO you compare other people to me, I can't think of any good traits I have."  
"Well....I'd rather not say."  
"Oh, Come on! How about this, if you answer my question you can ask ME any question and I'll answer it."  
"Ok....well, your determined, and funny, and nice, and fun to argue with!"  
She giggled a little and Ash laughed along with her.  
"Now my question. What do you think of me?"  
_"Oh I could answer that truthfully, but I can't....I just can't"  
_"Your a very good friend, very funny, sweet, and I just love arguing with you too!"  
Misty smiled, his words warmed her soul.  
"Is this the mall Misty?"  
"Yea, I'm surprised you found it with my directions."  
"Well that's one thing I've improved on, finding my way around!"  
"Darn, I liked the way you got us lost......sometimes..."  
"If you want I can turn around and see if I can get lost!"  
"No, no, no! We're already here, lets keep it that way!"

"Oh Ash! All these dresses are SO beautiful!"  
They had found a formal dress shop and Misty's eyes were wide with awe.  
"Well, pick some out and try them on!"  
"What about this one?"  
She held up a long, elegant lavender halter top dress.  
"I like it!"  
She zoomed around the store selecting most any dress she even partially liked and piled them on top of Ash.  
"ffuummm....HMishhty..?" He mumbled from under the dresses.  
"Whhhy dhhon't yohhu thhry thhehse on?"  
"Oh, that's a good idea, but here, hold this one too."  
She piled a last dress on Ash and attempted to lead him to the dressing rooms.  
"Ok, now turn right and go forward, that's good. STOP! You almost ran into a display."  
After knocking over a few various dress racks, and stubbing his toe, Ash finally made his way to the dressing room.  
"Just put them in there." She pointed into a room.  
"Misty, I can't see anything. You'll have to be more specific."  
She got behind him and pushed him into the dressing room. Then Misty started taking the dresses from Ash and hanging them up.  
"I can see! I can see! I can move!!!"  
Misty giggled as Ash ran around the room, freed from his burden.  
"Wonderful! Now get out!"  
Ash was shoved out and the door was locked behind him. There was a small armchair outside her room and he lounged there.  
Misty paraded before him, dress after dress, until she had two piles. Those she didn't like, and those she loved. The problem was that she loved too many!  
"How am I supposed to choose one!"  
"Try them on again, and maybe you'll be able to decide then?"  
"Ok, I guess it's worth a try."  
She trudged back to the dressing room and started trying them on yet again. Meanwhile Ash was out browsing the other dresses in the store.  
"Excuse me, could you get a dress out of the window?" He addressed the store clerk.  
"Sure, come and show me which one."  
The clerk followed him to the front display window.  
"The blue and green one there."  
It took quite awhile to get the dress off the display, but it was worth it, the dress was even more stunning close up. It was a simple spaghetti strap dress, with a sheer scarf to go with it, but the color was amazing. It was blue and aqua green mixed in a sort of wave like fashion that made it look like a watercolor painting.  
"Misty, I found another dress I think you might like."  
"Ok, can you throw it over the door."  
He looked down at the delicate fabric and decided against it.  
"I don't think it would be good for the dress."  
Misty's face peeked around the slightly open door. Ash assumed she wasn't decent, so he looked away and slowly passed the dress into the room. Misty took it and closed the door.  
"It's so beautiful! I love the colors! I just hope it fits me, it's a really slim dress."  
A few minutes later Misty emerged. And Ash just stared, frozen in shock and amazement.  
"What do you think?"  
He searched for his voice, the one that ran and hid at first sight of Misty.  
"That's the one."  
Misty moved her hips side to side and made the bottom of the slim fitting dress wave.  
"It reminds me of the ocean. The way the colors look like the top of the sea when I move."  
Ash managed to hold his voice with him, despite constant struggle.  
"I agree. It fits you perfectly."  
_"Perfectly? It could be custom made for her!"  
_ Misty twirled around once and looked at the tag on the side of the dress. Her mouth dropped open from shock, she closed it, then opened it again to speak, perfectly impersonating a bass.  
"I can't let you buy this for me! It's way too expensive! I'll just get one of the other ones, there not as much..."  
She turned to go back, but Ash swiftly grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him.  
"No Misty, this one is perfect! I don't care how much it costs, it has to be yours."  
Their eyes locked, and they were both mesmerized by each other.  
A barely audible whisper/squeak released from Misty's lips. "Alright."  
They were still fixed in each other's stares as Ash answered.  
"Good."

* * *

Misty plopped herself down on the couch, entirely forgetting she was wearing her new dress, and sighed.  
"I'm so exhausted. And dinner was huge!"  
Ash closed the door then dropped himself down beside Misty.  
"Yea, but it was fun."  
The two sat there for awhile just relaxing from the day.  
"I'm going to go change." Misty groaned, and took her bag into the bathroom.  
Ash sat there awhile before going to his bedroom to change. 

That felt better, back to her normal clothes where she could act like herself.  
She didn't notice Ash behind her as she picked up the TV remote and depressed the Power button.  
The images that flashed before her eyes at first made her gasp, then she felt dizzy and toppled backwards.

* * *

This story is © Rainflower  
Thank-You to Nintendo and Game Freak for letting me use their characters (even though they don't know it).  
All original Pokemon characters, etc. are © Nintendo and Game Freak, not me!


	6. Book 5

_TRANSPARENCY ~ BOOK FIVE_

* * *

Ash saw her falling and quickly caught her around the waist.  
"...that was....that was.." She looked up at Ash and gasped out the words.  
"Yes, I saw Misty.." He soothed  
Misty felt strength return to her legs and Ash guided her over to the couch.  
"But...why am I...it just...ME?" Her breathing still came in short gasps.  
"Well Misty, you can't expect to spend the whole day with me and not be seen by the media. Their on my back night and day!"  
He hugged her lightly around the shoulders and felt her ribs move in and out with each steadier breath.  
"I know Ash, I guess it just never....sunk in."  
"It hasn't sunk it for me either, I guess it's one of those things you just can't get used to."  
She closed her eyes and let her body finally relax. The TV was still on and the commercials were playing.  
"It's getting pretty late Misty, do you want me to take you home?"  
The answer was on her lips, when the news came back on and the Breaking News story of her and Ash was the topic. 

"We have just been informed by a reliable source that a woman has entered Ash Ketchum's life. Her name is Misty Waterflower, one of the four Cerulean Gym leaders. They were seen early this afternoon...."  
The sound of the TV slowly faded in their ears along with the light in their eyes. 

* * *

It was dark. Flickering colors from the TV danced on the sleeping face of the warm body nestled beside him. With smooth movements he stood and picked her up. She stirred only slightly and mumbled something indecipherable as he tucked the sheets around her.  
"Goodnight Misty"  
The whisper still hung in the air as he fell back asleep on the couch. 

* * *

_"I have to work in the gym today. Ick. It must be early, my alarm didn't go off. Well at least I can take a long shower, and eat a good breakfast."  
_The thoughts were going through her head as she woke up, but hadn't opened her eyes.

She jumped. Startled and shocked by her surroundings, everything from the previous day flooded back into her memory.   
She had fallen asleep? Where was Ash? At least one of her questions was answered as she allowed her ears to hear the shower running. She was sitting propped up against the headboard of the bed looking dazed when the bathroom door opened and Ash emerged wearing only a towel around his waist. He didn't even look her way, his eyes seemed to roam the closet looking for something. Misty's eyes were on his damp, black hair and his bare back with beads of water rolling off. He took some clothes out of the closet and went back into the steamy bathroom.

It was only a few minutes before Ash again came out, this time wearing pants and drying his hair with the towel that was previously around his waist.  
"Oh, you're awake Misty!"  
She rubbed her eyes and blinked before groggily responding.  
"Yea....."  
He stopped drying his hair and just let the towel hang down on his head.  
"You fell asleep last night. I didn't want to wake you up."  
"That's what I thought!"  
Ash sat down on the bed, still with the towel draped over his head, making Misty giggle.  
"Hey! What's so funny?!?"  
"It's....just...you look like a...shepherd or..something!"  
"Oh, do I? Then let's see what YOU look like."  
He took off the towel and was about to put it on Misty's head when she darted away. He quickly jumped up, and the chase began. Both of them could run fast, but Ash had a bit of an advantage. After a few circles around the room he put on a burst of speed and caught her around the waist, pinning her arms to her side. Then he flung the wet towel over her head.  
"Gotcha."  
"No!" She squealed, trying desperately to wiggle free from his grip. But he was much stronger than her, and the more she squirmed, the firmer his grip felt.  
"Let me go! My hair is getting wet!"  
Ash laughed a little then picked her up. She started kicking and screaming, but he managed to hold on long enough to drop her onto the bed. And once free from his hold, she quickly removed the towel and sat up, breathing heavily from the chase.  
"You are so mean Ash!"  
He just replied by giving her a little grin, and changing the subject.  
"My match starts in a couple hours. Do you want me to drop you off at home before I go, or do you want to come watch it?"  
"Now just how do you plan to get me a ticket the DAY of the battle? Hmmm..?"  
"You don't need a ticket! I can pull a few strings! So, do you want to come?"  
"Yea! My sisters will be so jealous!"  
He started to put on his black T-Shirt and searched for his jacket.  
"Where IS Pikachu Ash?"  
"Well after each battle, I usually have all my Pokemon spend a day at the Pokemon center. They all have to battle a lot harder now, and it takes longer to recover. Where's Togepi?"  
"Oh, my sisters have been trying to get Togepi to battle lately. So I leave it with them on their gym days. That reminds me! I have to run the gym today. I won't be able to go to your match...."  
"Why don't you call them and beg them to take over?"  
He finally found his Mater League jacket and put it on.  
"Their not THAT nice you know..."  
"Well it doesn't hurt to try."  
He picked up the phone, dialed and handed it to Misty before she could even protest.

"Hello?"  
"Hi, this is Misty."  
"Where ARE YOU!? And what happened...?" Her voice had a sly, questioning air to it.  
"Ummm...well, I fell asleep...and, nothing happened!! HONEST!"  
"Yea right. So why are you calling?"  
"Well I was wondering if you'd run the gym. Ash invited me to his match today."  
"You are SO LUCKY MISTY! Getting to go one of the most popular events in Cerulean history, and being involved with Ash! He is so hot in the pictures, how is he in real life??!!? Or actually I should be asking, How is he in be-"  
Misty quickly interrupted. "Wait, wait, wait. So you'll run the gym?"  
"Actually we were planning on closing it, almost everyone is watching the battle anyway! So, tell me ALL the details about him!!"  
"Sorry, I got to go! Thanks again! Bye!"  
She heard her sister protest as she hung up.  
"Sooo?" Ash questioned.  
"I can go!"

* * *

"Pika!"  
Pikachu ran up into Misty's arms at first sight.  
"Oh, Pikachu! It's so good to see you! How have you been?"  
It started to answer in his own language. Misty smiled and nodded, even though she didn't understand a word.  
"Come on Pikachu, and you too Misty." Ash finally interrupted.  
"Yea, you have a big battle Pikachu! I'm rooting for you!"  
Again Ash interrupted "Hey, what about ME!"  
"Oh, I'm rooting for you too! Don't worry..." She smiled at him sarcastically.  
"Well you'd better be!"  
He grabbed her hand and started dragging her.  
"ASH!?!? Where are we going?"  
"Oh, Thad gave me directions to the room I was supposed to meet them in. I'm trying to find it."  
"Great, just great. I thought you said you had a better sense of direction now! We'll be wandering around in this huge stadium for hours now..." Her voice trailed off.  
"Here it is!" Ash exclaimed, stopping in front of a plain, unlabeled, door.  
"Umm, Ash? Are you sure this is it?"  
"Actually yes I am, just trust me for once."  
Pikachu scampered onto Ash's shoulder just before he opened the door.

The lull of conversation between the five occupants was quickly stopped as the door of the small meeting room opened. Ash walked in briskly and pulled Misty in behind him.  
"Ah, I see your day together also turned into a night." The voice came from Thad over in the corner.  
Misty suddenly felt very out-of-place and unwelcome, which was very unlike her bold, outgoing nature. Ash could sense it and motioned for her to sit down. No later, the only other woman in the room walked over and held out her hand to Ash.  
"My name is Natalie, I'm with the Cerulean Recreation Department and I've been selected to read the rules and battle etiquette to you. If you would just please acknowledge the rules while I read them aloud I can get out of your way as soon as possible."  
The rules were spilled out by her pleasant, yet drawling tongue as Ash politely nodded in response. He had obviously listened to the same, pre-written rules numerous times. Once the recitation was finished, as promised, she left promptly.

"Misty will need a seat for the match." Ash firmly stated, while sitting down beside her.  
A man she didn't know by name quickly responded. "You're kidding! There's not an open seat in the whole stadium!"  
"Then you'll just have to get a seat down on the floor now, won't you?"  
The man sighed, apparently not having any grounds to argue, pulled out his cell phone, and stepped out of the room. It was beginning to resemble musical chairs, now only herself, Ash, Thad, and two other unknown people remained. Thad quickly captured the silence and smirked.  
"So, how was your night Ash?"  
This put him over the edge, he erupted from his seat and boomed.  
"Is it REALLY any of YOUR concern!!?? I don't pay you to criticize and judge me you know. I DO have a life, and I'd like to live it!!!"  
His breath came sharply back in, while everyone was in a sort of daze. He sat back down next to Misty and put her arm around her shoulders.  
"I'm sorry, I should've known this would happen. You could go home if you like. Save yourself the humiliation..." He whispered.  
"I don't want to leave. I came here to be with you and watch your match." She paused and thought "I don't think I care what people think."  
This almost surprised her as she said it. But the more it registered, the more she realized it was true.  
He hugged her lightly then stood up and offered a hand.  
"There are some other battles going on right now. I say we go watch to get away from them." He motioned over to the three businessmen.  
She took his hand and stood up.  
"They ARE your employees you know."  
He grinned and laughed.  
"Yea, and it's weird too. To think, I'm a boss!"  
Misty bust out in joyous giggles, it was a thought! Ash then tickled her ribs slightly to encourage the laughter, before calling.  
"Hey Pikachu, come on!"

* * *

This story is © Rainflower  
Thank-You to Nintendo and Game Freak for letting me use their characters (even though they don't know it).  
All original Pokemon characters, etc. are © Nintendo and Game Freak, not me!


End file.
